Well not everything you need to know, but this article will give you a good introduction to permaculture!
Imagine a lifestyle where you can build sustainably, savor fresh local food, nurture a vibrant community, and live harmoniously with nature without technological advancement or further destruction of resources?
Cultivating a lifestyle such as the one above is what permaculture attempts to create. Permaculture is a planning and design system which integrates shelter, food, water, income, community, and aesthetics.
Permaculture offers a promising way forward in our rapidly changing climate to create a sustainable and regenerative future.
Table of Contents
What is permaculture
Bill Mollison and his student, David Holmgren, coined the term in the 1970s. Mollison released the Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual in 1978, which outlined the key concepts of permaculture and its applications.
Originally, the word “permaculture” is derived from “permanent” and “agriculture.” However, the term has evolved to now encompass “permanent” and “culture.”
Mollison defines permaculture as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.”
While Mollison and Holmgren coined the term, many of the concepts and design practices have their origins in indigenous cultures who have been caring for and continue to care for the earth.
3 core ethics of permaculture:
- Care for Earth
- Care for People
- Fair Share
Key Concepts in Permaculture Design:
Zones: a way of the mapping the land based on frequency of use and accessibility
- Zone 0: the home.
- Zone 1: area closest to the home; you may put the herb garden, compost toilet, or small livestock here.
- Zone 2: area for orchards, bigger shrubs, or livestock.
- Zone 3: larger agricultural crops
- Zone 4: managed forest or grazing land.
- Zone 5: wilderness; left for biodiversity and shelter for animals.
Sectors:
- Wind
- Sun
- Pollution
- Noise
- Water
Applications of Permaculture
- Urban permaculture practices
- Community gardens, cooperative housing, ecovillages, intentional communities, cooperative businesses, alternative economies and currencies (i.e. bartering, LETS), circular waste systems
- Permaculture in agriculture
- Food forests, syntropic agriculture, composting, greywater systems etc.
Benefits of Permaculture
- Environmental sustainability and resilience
- Improved food security
- Community building and social cohesion
Conclusion
Permaculture can be applied to our lives in so many different forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in land management, but applying the ethics can help to create a more equitable, sustainable, and just world!
additional resources
The Permaculture Resource Institute has a ton of amazing resources